Chapter 154: Chapter Hundred And Fifty Three

The quiet evening had arrived. Outside the master bedroom, the grand Benson mansion was completely silent and dark. The cold wind blew softly against the glass windows, but inside, the room was very warm and cozy.

Damon and Camilla were already home. Both of them had taken their warm baths, washing away the dust of the military camp. They had eaten a quiet, peaceful dinner downstairs and were now fully prepared for bed.

The master bedroom was lit by a single, large oil lamp sitting on the wooden table. The warm yellow light cast soft, gentle shadows across the stone walls and the bed.

Camilla got to the bed. She climbed up onto the soft, comfortable mattress and pulled the thick wool blankets over her legs. She was wearing her soft silk nightgown. Her long red curly hair was spread messily over her shoulders. She opened a book she had taken from the library earlier and began to read.

Damon did not go to the floor to sleep yet. Instead, he sat on the chair near the small table. He was working. He had a military ledger open in front of him. He was slowly flipping the ledger, his eyes scanning the long columns of numbers. He wore his loose grey sleeping trousers and a clean white linen shirt.

The room was incredibly quiet. The only sounds were the soft rustle of Camilla turning a page in her book and the sound of Damon turning a page in his ledger.

Suddenly, Camilla let out a soft, bright laugh. She had just read a very funny word in her book. Her shoulders shook slightly, and her eyes sparkled with amusement.

Damon heard her laugh. It was a very sweet, genuine sound. Damon looked up from his book. He stopped pretending to read. He turned his head and looked directly at her, his eyes fixed on her smiling face.

Camilla felt his gaze. She slowly lowered her book and looked toward the chair.

She caught his eyes.

Damon’s heart gave a sudden, hard jump. He realized he had been caught staring at her. He quickly looked back down. He grabbed his ledger and pretended to work. He pointed his finger at a random line of numbers, trying to look incredibly busy and highly focused, though his face turned a very light shade of pink.

Camilla watched his sudden movement. She saw how fast he looked down.

Inside her head, her internal voice sounded confused.

"What is wrong with him?" Camilla thought to herself.

Damon kept his eyes fixed on the ledger, but he was not reading the numbers. He could not focus at all.

Inside Damon’s mind, he spoke to himself. His internal voice was very anxious, impatient, and slightly annoyed.

"Where is Kade?" Damon thought, his jaw tightening slightly. "He is supposed to bring the money in by now. I gave him the order hours ago. He should have delivered the chest to the room before we even went to bed. Why is he taking so long?"

Damon wanted that chest of gold to arrive immediately. He wanted to see Camilla’s reaction. He wanted her to know, once and for all, that he was absolutely not a cheap, stingy husband. He wanted to hear her take back all those terrible insults she had thought about him. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Camilla continued reading her book. She turned another page, but she was no longer fully focused on the story. She kept laughing softly at the funny lines, but she was also secretly watching the General.

She turned her head slightly. She caught Damon sneaking a look at her once again. The moment she turned her face, Damon’s head snapped down toward his ledger with lightning speed.

Camilla slowly lowered her book to her lap. She stared at him, her delicate eyebrows pulling together.

She thought to herself, her internal voice filled with genuine, deep confusion.

"This is very strange," Camilla thought, analyzing his behavior. "Normally, he always stays in his private study downstairs to work. He hates being in the same room with me. He does everything he can to avoid the female lead. So why on earth is he working here in the bedroom today? Why is he sitting in that chair, flipping his book every two minutes?"

She tapped her finger gently against her chin. She looked at his broad shoulders and his dark hair.

She could not find a logical reason for his strange behavior. But she was a practical woman. She did not like to waste her energy on useless mysteries.

She pushed the thoughts away. She raised her book back up, covering her face.

"Well," Camilla thought, shrugging her shoulders slightly under her nightgown. "It has absolutely nothing to do with me. As long as he stays on his side of the room and doesn’t try to take my soft bed, he can sit in that chair until the sun comes up."

Damon stood perfectly still. Because he could read her mind, he heard her entire, uncaring thought.

Damon thought to himself, his internal voice filled with a wave of frustration.

"Nothing to do with you?" Damon thought, glaring secretly at her book. "I am sitting in this uncomfortable chair, hurting my back, specifically because of you! I am waiting here to give you a massive chest of gold! I am waiting to prove to you that I am a generous husband you can depend on!"

He felt a deep sense of irritation. He had gone to great lengths to arrange this "surprise," and she was sitting there ghosting him.

Suddenly, a soft, polite knocking sound broke the quiet tension of the master bedroom.

Knock. Knock.

Damon’s eyes instantly lit up. He sat up completely straight in his chair. He closed his military ledger with a loud, final thud.

"Enter," Damon commanded loudly. His deep voice carried a very clear, proud tone.

The door pushed open slowly. Kade walked into the bedroom.

The loyal aide was carrying a small wooden chest in his hands. He walked across the wooden floorboards, his boots making soft sounds. He did not look at Damon. He walked directly toward the side of the large wooden bed where Camilla was sitting.

Kade stopped and bowed very deeply to the Lady. He carefully placed the chest onto the floor right next to the bed.

"My lady," Kade said, his voice full of gentle, respectful happiness. He gestured to the chest. "For you. This was ordered for your personal use."

He bowed one last time, turned around quickly, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

The bedroom was silent again.